August 18, 2023 | 1:25 PM
Abandoned Warehouse | Shinjuku District
Renji stared at the names covering the warehouse walls, a cold dread creeping into his gut. Yume stood beside him, arms crossed, watching his reaction carefully.
"You're telling me someone can erase people from existence?" Renji's voice was steady, but his mind was anything but calm.
"Not just erase them," Yume said, tapping a name on the wall with her fingernail. "Rewrite them."
Renji exhaled sharply. "That's insane."
Yume smirked. "Oh, believe me, detective, I thought so too. Until I almost became one of these names myself."
Renji turned to her. "You're saying the person behind this tried to erase you?"
Yume nodded, her expression unreadable. "Just a few minutes ago. My name was changed in the system—but I didn't die. That means whoever did this didn't have my real name."
Renji's fingers curled into a fist. "Do you know who's behind it?"
Yume tilted her head, giving him a mischievous smile. "I have a name."
Renji's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
She took out her phone and tapped the screen. A picture appeared—grainy, taken from a security feed.
Renji's breath hitched.
A young man. Sharp features. Calm expression. Eyes filled with quiet arrogance.
"Raito Kurogane," Yume said, her voice soft but deadly.
"Your prime suspect."
---
August 18, 2023 | 1:40 PM
Raito Kurogane's Apartment
Raito leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen. The fake death report he had written for "Yume Sazanami" had vanished from the database.
He had failed.
That meant one thing—Yume wasn't her real name.
He chuckled to himself. "Interesting."
The first real challenge.
He had thought himself invincible, but now, he was facing someone who could counter his power. Someone who had predicted his attack.
He needed to rethink his strategy.
Because now, he had two enemies.
The detective, Renji Aizawa, had already been a problem. But Yume… she was different. She was a wildcard.
And in games of intellect, wildcards were the most dangerous.
Raito picked up his pen and twirled it between his fingers. "What will you do next, Sazanami Yume?"
He smiled.
"And more importantly… how long can you survive?"
---
August 18, 2023 | 2:15 PM
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters
Renji had locked himself in his office, staring at the name Raito Kurogane on his computer screen.
He ran a background check.
Age: 22.
Occupation: University Student (Law and Political Science).
Family: Deceased.
No criminal record.
No suspicious activity.
A ghost.
No connections, no past incidents, no reason to be a suspect.
And yet…
His instincts screamed that this was their man.
Renji sighed and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number.
Yume picked up instantly.
"You found something?"
"His name," Renji muttered. "Raito Kurogane."
There was silence on the other end. Then—
"Check again."
Renji frowned. "What?"
Yume's voice was calm, but something in her tone sent a chill down his spine.
"Try searching for him again."
Renji hesitated, then refreshed the page.
"No results found."
Renji's breath caught in his throat.
That was impossible.
He had just seen the file. He had just read the details.
And now—it was gone.
Yume's voice was quiet but sharp. "I told you. He's rewriting reality."
Renji closed his eyes. He felt like he was falling into something he couldn't comprehend.
If a name could disappear in real-time…
Then what else could be erased?
---
August 18, 2023 | 3:00 PM
Unknown Location
A figure stood in front of a large digital screen, watching the game unfold.
The three players had finally come together.
Raito Kurogane, the self-proclaimed god.
Hoshino Renji, the relentless detective.
Yume Sazanami, the unpredictable hacker.
The perfect battle of minds.
The figure smirked.
And then, with a single keystroke, they erased their own name from existence.